


The Snake

by macye71



Category: Chicago PD, Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: Burzek, Chicago PD - Freeform, Hank Voight - Freeform, Kim Burgess x Adam Ruzek - Freeform, One Chicago - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:47:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25406371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/macye71/pseuds/macye71
Summary: The Intelligence Unit is on a mission to find one of their own. Will time, tempers, and a traitor stop them?
Relationships: Adam Ruzek & Kim Burgess, Kim Burgess x Adam Ruzek
Kudos: 25





	The Snake

**Author's Note:**

> My first Chicago PD fic!!!! So excited :)  
> This takes place around season 6. I know Adam & Kim aren’t together then but we’re just going to pretend because I clearly love them! 
> 
> * I do not condone any type of physical violence or sexual assault. This is just a story.

Kim stood with her arms crossed and a triumphant look on her face as Jazz was pulled out of the cage. An officer told Jazz to follow him, and tightened his handcuffs.

“You think this is the end?” Jazz narrowed his eyes at Kim, his signature expression. Pure evil. The only look he was capable of. “You’re dead.” Jazz snarled as he was dragged into a transport vehicle. 

Kim turned on her heel as he started to yell at her. 

“Hey! Hey! I’m talking to you! You bit-“ 

She slammed the door behind her, not caring to hear the end of his sentence. 

Jared Zaks, also known as Jazz, was on his way to prison after years of dealing cocaine and pimping out underage girls. Intelligence had spent months investigating him and going on undercover missions. All of their hard work had finally paid off.

Kim made her way into the locker room to grab her things so she could head home. She jumped as someone came up behind her, and covered her mouth. Before she could react, she felt soft kisses pressed on the side of her neck. 

She turned around to face Adam, wrapped her arms around his neck, and met him for a kiss. 

“Hi.” She smiled, resting her forehead against his. 

“Hi, darlin’. You did a great job today. I’m proud of you.” 

Kim and Adam quickly backed away from each other when they heard the locker room door open. 

Jay walked in and nodded hello at them. “Med just called. All those girls found in the basement had condoms full of cocaine in their stomachs.”

“Those poor girls.” Kim sighed. 

“Hey, we’re all going to Molly’s. You guys coming?” Jay changed the subject quickly, ready to turn off work mode. 

“I’ll be there.” Adam replied.

Jay looked to Kim for her answer. 

“I...” she hesitated. “I think I’ll head home early tonight.” 

Jay sent her a curious look but didn’t argue. “Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Great arrest today.” Jay sent her a quick smile. 

“Thanks.” Kim smiled back.

“Why aren’t you coming to Molly’s?” Adam asked once the room was empty again. He took a seat on the bench, looking up at Kim. 

“I’m not in a drinking mood. I can’t get those girls out of my head.” She sighed. When she made the arrest on Jazz, there were about a dozen teenage girls locked up in his basement. They looked scared, hungry, beaten, cold...

Adam reached for her hands and gave them a tight squeeze. “You saved them all, baby.” 

“I know. But you know the chances of them going back to a normal life-“

“Hey, don’t even think about that right now.” Adam stood up and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing circles on her back. “You can’t save everyone all the time. You did what you could. Okay?” 

“Okay.” She whispered back. 

Adam moved her hair to the side and continued the kisses along her neck again. 

Kim tilted her head back to give him more access. 

Adam chuckled lightly when he felt the goosebumps he gave from kissing her collarbone. Kim found her way to the hem of his shirt and started to reach her hands up to feel his chest and abs. 

“Screw Molly’s. We’re staying in tonight. Let’s go.” Adam’s voice meant business. He took her hand to lead her out, but Kim pulled away. 

“No.” She had a serious look on her face. “I don’t want people to get suspicious.” 

Adam groaned, but didn’t argue. She was right. They had been back together for almost 8 months now, and somehow managed to keep it a secret this whole time. No one suspected a thing. They planned on telling Voight soon, but they weren’t ready yet. Plus, the sneaking around was just adding to the fun.

Adam reluctantly left for Molly’s, promising to come over by 11 o’clock. Kim pulled into her apartment complex, and started the walk to her door. She felt a presence behind her, and reached for the gun in her waistband, but she was knocked to the ground immediately. 

“Scream and I’ll kill you.” A man’s voice whispered in her ear. The cold metal of a gun was pressed to her temple. He slowly stood up, and Kim followed, making sure to let him take the lead and not make any sudden movements. She noticed someone else walking next to him on their way to the parking lot, but she couldn’t get a good look. They arrived at a black Durango near the back of the parking lot. The back door was opened to reveal all the seats pushed down, and Kim was shoved inside after the man took her gun, phone, and purse. The other person got into the driver’s seat. He was dressed in all black, including a ski mask. Kim turned to look at her captor before the door shut. He was in the same outfit. Kim immediately tried to free herself, her instincts kicking in. She wrapped her arms around the driver’s neck from behind, using all of her force to choke him. She saw the first man grab something from the trunk, and open the back door again. He raised his gun, pointing at her head. She released the driver from the choke hold, and held her hands up. “Come here.” He commanded, pointing right in front of him. Kim inched over to him, dreading what would happen next. When she was close, he grabbed the back of her neck and shoved her face into a cloth. Chloroform.

When Kim woke up, she tried to move around, but realized her hands and feet were zip tied. The car was stopped and she could hear the two men in the front seat whispering, but couldn’t tell what they were saying. They hadn’t killed her immediately, which meant the chances of them killing her at all were slim. That gave her something to hold onto. 

After a few minutes the men looked back, and their ski masks were gone. Kim’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw a familiar tattoo on the driver’s right hand. Landon Prince was her CI. The same Landon Prince who had helped her take down Jazz over the past few months. Traitor.  
  
Kim didn’t recognize the other man. He had reddish hair and a patchy beard. 

“What do we do now? She’s awake.” There was a strong hint of panic in Landon’s voice. 

“I told you I would take care of it.” The bearded man acted like he had said this to him a hundred times before. 

“Come on, Adrian-“ Landon started to protest, but found himself with a gun to his head. 

“Why would you say my name?” Adrian glared daggers through Landon, not moving the gun. 

He didn’t want Kim to know his name. Another good sign they wouldn’t kill her. 

Eventually he lowered the weapon, leaving Landon wide eyed, taking deep breaths. 

“Get out of the car.” Adrian ordered him. 

Kim knew that the kidnapping and chloroform was just the beginning. Things were about to get bad. She tried to mentally brace herself, but all she wanted was to be at home right now, cuddled up in bed with Adam. She said a silent prayer that somehow, someone would find her. 

The back door opened and Adrian pulled Kim’s legs towards him, then grabbed her arms to sit her up. 

“Look out there.” He pointed to a building in the distance. The 21st precinct. “All of your little friends there. So close, but so far away.”

Kim bit the inside of her cheek to keep her eyes from watering. She refused to let her emotions show in front of them. She didn’t speak a word;just stared blankly at the building. Out of nowhere, Adrian delivered a hard slap to the sir of her face, leaving a burning sensation on her cheek. 

“What was that for?” Landon came to Kim’s defense, but received a kick to the knee, knocking him to the ground. He scampered off when Adrian turned his attention to Kim. He looked into her eyes with a stare that was so empty, but so dark at the same time. Then punched her right in the cheek.

Adrian eventually returned to the front seat and nodded off. Kim was left spitting blood out of her mouth, pain searing through her face. 

The back door slowly opened. Landon was standing there, looking her over. Kim took a deep breath. He was probably going to hurt her next. 

“His name is Adrian Parker.” Landon got close to Kim and whispered as low as possible.

“You have to help me.” Kim whispered back. “You helped me take down Jazz. Help me now. Please.” 

“Adrian waited right here in this spot, watched you leave the building, get into your car, then he followed you home.” 

“Let me call the 21st. Or you can. You don’t have to turn yourself in. Just tell them where I am.” 

Landon ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his temples. He was getting stressed. 

“Please. I won’t mention you having any involvement.” 

Landon looked back and forth between Kim and Adrian. He slowly closed the door behind him. 

Was that a yes or no? Kim blinked back tears, telling herself not to get her hopes up. That seemed like a big no.

•••

Adam was on his way to Kim’s apartment when he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. Her keys. Her keys were on the ground, tossed to the side near the front door. 

“No, no, no.” Adam immediately felt his heart race. He used his own key to enter her apartment. None of the lights were on. After a quick search inside, his fears were confirmed. He tried to call her three times, but the phone went straight to voicemail. Adam wasted no more time and called Voight who answered right away. 

“Adam?” 

“Kim is gone, Sarge. Keys dropped near the front door. She never went inside.” 

“Get inside and stay there. We’ll be over in a minute.”

Adam tried not to let his thoughts go to a dark place, but he was a cop, and he was in love. He couldn’t help it. He paced back and forth and tried calling Kim’s phone a few more times until Voight arrived.

“We’ve been dating,” Adam blurted out immediately. “She didn’t want to go to Molly’s tonight. I should have went home with her.” 

Voight tried to calm him down. “You need to have your head on straight if you want to find her. This isn’t your fault. It could have happened at any time.”

The rest of the team arrived just minutes later. They started putting the pieces together as they did a second search of the apartment. Two toothbrushes in the bathroom, a pair of Adam’s shoes near the door, some of his clothes hung in the closet. No one said anything, but they all gave him a knowing look. 

“We’ll find her.” Jay gave Adam’s shoulder a squeeze. “It’s what we do.” 

Adam nodded. “I know.” And he knew the team would find her. He just wasn’t sure if they would find her alive. 

“There’s no doubt this is related to the arrest made on Jared Zaks today. Street name Jazz. We start there.” Voight started. “Antonio and I are going to pay him a visit.” 

“I’m going with.” Adam said.

“No.” Voight shut it down immediately. “You can’t go in hot. You and Kevin are going back to the district. Look into Kim’s call logs, paperwork. Anything that you think will help.” 

“Jay and I will find surveillance video nearby. We’ll knock on doors, talk to anyone we can.” Hailey volunteered. 

“I don’t care that it’s getting late. You wake people up if you have to. Get them talking. No detail is too small. Gather all the surveillance video possible.” Voight directed. 

Jay and Hailey nodded.

“No other thought should even cross your mind until we find Kim. Work quickly, work efficiently. We find her alive. Understood?” Voight looked at each of his team members. 

“Yes, Sarge.” They agreed.

“Go.” 

The teams broke up and went their separate ways. They had a lot of work to do.  
  


Jazz smirked when he saw who his visitors were. He took a seat behind the thick glass and slowly lifted up the phone that would allow him to talk to the detectives. 

“Good to see you again.” Jazz still had a smirk plastered on his face. 

“Kim. Where is she?” Voight cut to the chase. 

“I don’t know who this Kim is. Why don’t you tell me about her?” Jazz rested his chin on his hand. 

“I’m not playing games.” Voight pressed. 

“What are you going to do? Arrest me?” Jazz taunted him. 

“I’m going to do a whole lot worse than that.” Voight lowered his voice, not wanting to attract attention from the prison guards around them. “Inmates don’t typically like people who have anything to do with underage girls. Hm?” 

Jazz wiped the smirk off of his face, replacing it with anger. 

An hour later, Adam and Kevin were in the middle of reading over Kim’s reports from the day. Nothing significant stood out to them yet, but they were determined to find something. 

Jay and Hailey arrived with surveillance footage. Everyone split up the footage and watched on their computers, searching for anything that could help find Kim. 

Voight and Antonio came back a few minutes later. Everyone turned to them, waiting for them to speak. 

“Don’t take your eyes off of the footage,” Voight directed. He waited until everyone had their eyes fixed on the screen in front of them. 

“Jazz admitted that he wants Kim dead, but that’s all I got out of him. That and some old proverb.” Voight explained. “He who has been bitten by the snake fears a piece of string.” He paused. “Does that mean anything to anyone?” Frustration was starting to take presence in his voice. 

The team shook their heads.

“Sorry, Sarge. Doesn’t ring any bells,” Hailey answered. 

“Guys.” Kevin gestured to the team to gather around his computer. They watched as Kim walked into her apartment building. Two masked men got out of a black SUV, and followed closely behind her.

“Where’s the rest?” Adam asked. 

“That’s...” Kevin clicked the screen a few times. “That’s it.”

“No video cameras inside the building. Only near the entrance.” Hailey explained, a hint of defeat in her voice. 

“Play it again.” Voight demanded. “Slow it down.” 

The team watched everything in slow motion. 

“Stop.” Jay instructed as the masked men entered the view. 

Kevin pressed pause. 

“That.” Jay pointed a pencil to the man on the right. “The tattoo on his right hand. What is that? Blow it up.” 

Kevin blew up the image, but the camera quality was grainy. 

“Grab someone from tech downstairs to blow up and clarify the image. We also need to know their heights and weights.” Voight nodded at Kevin who rushed downstairs. 

Kevin came back upstairs twenty minutes later. He plugged a drive into his computer and the team finally made out the tattoo on the perpetrator’s hand. A snake.

“Jazz has the same tattoo on the back of his neck.” Antonio pointed out. 

“He’s working for Jazz. The other guy most likely works for him too.” Hailey said. “What is it with these guys and snakes?”

Antonio and Jay ran the kidnapper’s heights and weights through their system to see if anyone had a similar build. As it turns out, a lot of criminals were either 6’0 or 5’10, and around 180 or 220 pounds. They searched through countless photos and tried to find anyone with a snake tattoo on their hand, but had no luck. 

“We’re wasting time. We need to work a different angle.” Adam was growing increasingly impatient and worried. He couldn’t sit still and look at useless pictures any longer. 

“Everyone put out word to your CI’s. Anyone who lives near Kim’s apartment- hell, just anyone. No tip is too small.” Voight ordered.

•••

To Kim’s surprise, Landon opened the back door to the car, and gave her a quick nod. 

“I’ll help you.” 

“Thank you.” Kim let out a sigh of relief. “If you just cut my ties I think I can run-“

“No.” Landon fiercely shook his head. “Just give me a phone number.” 

Feeling disappointed, Kim gave him Adam’s phone number. He wrote it down on the inside of his wrist. Landon was wringing his hands together, tapping his foot, and glancing at Adrian.

“Where’s your phone?” Kim asked, trying not to feed off of his nervous energy. 

“He took it from me. I have to use his.” 

This plan was getting worse by the minute. 

Landon crawled into the back seat, slowly inching closer to the center console. He grabbed Adrian’s phone from the cup holder, moving carefully to not make a sound. 

Kim nodded at him to say good job. 

Landon disappeared into the woods behind them, hopefully making the phone call that would save Kim’s life.

•••

“I think I found something.” Kevin held up a file, grabbing everyone’s attention. 

“We don’t have all day, man.” Adam rushed him.

“Landon Prince.” Kevin pulled a photo of Landon out of the file, along with a photo that showed a snake tattoo on his right hand. Just like in the video. “He’s Kim’s CI.” 

“But he helped her take down Jazz.” Hailey wrinkled her eyebrows together. “Why would he kidnap her?” 

“Maybe it was a set up of some sort so he could get back at police.” Antonio threw out a theory.  
  


“Or he’s a dirty criminal who doesn’t care.” Adam muttered.

“We can talk about it on the way. Kev, stay here and look up his last known address, place of work, social media. Anything you can find. Text Upton everything. We’ll call if we need back up.” Voight said, gathering everyone to leave. 

“You got it, Sarge.” 

“Wait.” Adam stopped the team before they went down the stairs. “I’m getting a call from a blocked number.”

Everyone gathered around him silently as he answered, putting the phone on speaker. 

“Hello?” He tried to keep his voice calm. The person on the other end was silent. “Hello?” 

“Dammit.” Adam slammed his fist down on his desk as the call ended. 

“Don’t lose control,” Voight warned him. “Head on straight.” 

The phone rang again, just seconds later.

“We need to track this phone call.” Voight pointed at Hailey. 

“Hello?” Adam answered again. The other line was silent again. “Is anyone there?” Click. 

“I couldn’t get it.” Hailey shook her head. 

The blocked number called three more times without speaking. By the third call, they stayed on long enough for Hailey to track it. 

“Got it!” Hailey yelled the second that the call ended. “The cell phone is pinging off of a tower...” her eyes got wide, pointing to the screen.

“Right near the precinct. Two miles away.” Jay completed her sentence.

“We’re all going together.” Voight gestured to all of them. “I’ll have Trudy send us Landon’s last known.”

•••

As Landon entered the back of the car a few minutes later, he hit his head on the door frame. Adrian jumped, reaching for his gun. He let out a breath when he saw that it was just Landon. “Don’t scare me like that, man.” 

Landon froze in place. He was holding Adrian’s phone in his hand. 

“What the-“ Adrian quickly made the connection, grabbed his gun, and threw himself into the backseat. He took a shot at Landon, the bullet barely grazing his leg. 

“Run!” Kim yelled at Landon, managing to throw her body on top of Adrian to temporarily slow him down. Landon took off into the darkness, still holding onto the phone, disappearing just as Adrian threw Kim off of himself. 

She knew he was going to hurt her even worse than before. She knew she probably wouldn’t make it out of this without multiple bones being broken, but she hoped it was worth it. She hoped Landon made the phone call to Adam. 

Adrian raised a hand to slap her, but suddenly changed his mind. Kim opened her eyes to find him cutting the zip ties off of her ankles. One of her worst fears came true next. He used to the knife to cut her clothes off. Slowly cutting and licking his lips.

What felt like hours later, Adrian was finally asleep in the front seat of the car, snoring away. How could he live with himself after what he just did? He was fast asleep like it was nothing. Kim was pretty sure she would never be able to sleep again. 

She stared at the ceiling of the car, fighting the tears and trying to keep her thoughts in a happy place, but all she could focus on was the pain. Her face, from the slapping and punching. Her neck and throat, where she was choked multiple times. Her arms that he grabbed so hard he left bruises. Right below the waist, where she was still bleeding at least thirty minutes later. 

Adrian startled awake when a pick up truck pulled up beside the car. 

“Don’t scream, don’t make a sound.” He raised his gun at Kim, making sure she understood his rules. 

Kim saw Adrian get out of the car and make his way to the driver side of the truck. She heard people talking, but they were too quiet for her to make out specific words. Adrian came back for her not long after, and carried her to the backseat of the pick up truck. She looked around for the driver, but no one was around. Adrian kicked her legs in the rest of the way, sending a shock wave of pain through her lower back. He went into the trunk of the car and came back with a rag.

“Please, not again-“ 

Despite her protests, he shoved the rag in her face, knocking her out once again with chloroform.

•••

The six officers stared into the trunk of the abandoned SUV. Dried up patches of blood, a cut up t-shirt, and a rag. Everyone looked at Adam out of the corner of their eye, waiting for confirmation. 

“That’s Kim’s shirt.” He rubbed his eyes, attempting to keep his emotions at bay. 

“We’re getting closer.” Jay tried to reassure him. 

“This rag has chloroform on it, Sarge.” Hailey avoided eye contact with Adam, not wanting to see his reaction.

  
Landon’s last known address wasn’t much help. The landlord, who wasn’t happy to be woken up, said that Landon hadn’t been there in a few months, but he was still paying rent. After knocking on a few resident’s doors, they didn’t get much information. Most people didn’t even know who he was, and if they did, they hadn’t seen him in at least two or three months. 

On their way out of the building, someone was limping up the stairs. The dark figure looked up, and froze. 

“Landon Prince!” Hailey was the first to call out. “Chicago PD! Don’t move!” 

Landon tried to take off in the other direction, but Antonio and Voight were already there, blocking him. Again, he attempted to take off another way, but the team had him surrounded. 

“Hands up, Landon. It’s over.” Jay ordered him, gun pointed at his head. 

Landon looked back and forth at the six team members, panicked. He started to lift his hands up, but had a change of heart at the last second, and pulled a gun out of his waistband. 

No one wanted to shoot him. They needed him alive to get to Kim. 

“Landon, look at me.” Adam grabbed the scared man’s attention. “You need to tell us where Kim is.”

Landon was holding the gun with an uncontrollably trembling hand, pointing it at Adam for a few seconds, then Hailey who was next to him, then back to Adam.

“We can make a deal-“

One gun shot went off, flying right past Adam’s shoulder. Then a second shot went off, sending Landon to the floor. 

Adam peeled his eyes off of Landon to find the owner of the second gun shot. Antonio. 

“You killed him!” Adam yelled, lunging forward to give Antonio a hard shove. “What the hell were you thinking?” 

“Because he tried to kill you!” Antonio yelled back, shoving him twice as hard. 

Jay and Voight rushed over to pull Adam away, but not before Adam could deliver a punch to Antonio’s face, sending him stumbling backwards. “If she’s dead it’s on you!”

Jay pushed Adam onto the ground and got level with him. His eyes were fierce, his tone serious. “You need to get ahold of yourself if you want to find her. Antonio did what he had to do.” 

“How would you feel if you were me?” Adam asked. Jay gave him a sympathetic glance, but didn’t respond. “That’s what I thought.”

“He has a phone on him.” Kevin was the first to grab the cell from Landon’s pocket. He searched through the call history. Adam jumped up and ran over, hoping for some good news.

“This is the phone that called you and hung up.” He handed the phone to Adam, showing him his number in the call log. 

“So either Kim got ahold of it and tried to call for help...” Adam started. 

“Or Landon was messing with us.” Jay finished the sentence for him. 

“Maybe not.” Antonio chimed in. “Landon is-was- Burgess’s CI. He might be trying to help.”

“He wouldn’t have kidnapped her in the first place if he wanted to help.” Adam shot Antonio a dirty look. He was holding gauze under his nose to collect the blood dripping out. Adam didn’t feel bad for causing the injury yet. 

“Not necessarily,” Hailey chimed in. “Could have been forced. His tattoo matches Jazz, so he worked for him at some point. He could have threatened him with something.” 

“The rest of these calls all go to the exact same number.” Adam handed the phone to Hailey to trace it. 

Hailey had the number tracked just minutes later. 

“The number is linked to the owner of a bar a few miles from here. Called... The Python.”

Voight nodded, ushering his team to their cars. “Good things bars are open late. Let’s hit it.”

Typically only one or two members of Intelligence would go in to talk to the owner and employees, but they didn’t have time to spare. The whole team walked in with their game faces on, a single look threatening anyone who seemed like they wanted to run from them. 

They spread out to talk to bartenders, cooks, and bouncers. Voight and Adam found the manager’s office in the back. 

“Can I help you? You can’t be back here.” A tall, bald man came up behind them, walking fast to meet them.

Voight and Adam showed the man their badges. 

“Are you the owner?” Voight asked, entering the small office, not waiting for an invitation. 

“Yes. Jeremy Hall.”

“Where are you coming from, Jeremy?” Voight gestured to the keys in his hand. 

“I was taking a personal phone call.”

Adam closed the door behind them. 

Jeremy pushed a mountain of papers on his desk to the side. “My liquor license is up to date, if there’s a noise complaint-” 

“Not what we’re here about.” Adam dropped the phone found in the van on his desk. 

Jeremy glanced at the phone, then back at Adam and Voight, waiting for an explanation.

“We found this phone in the back of a van where a police officer was kidnapped. The phone’s call history has your phone number in it. Someone using this phone has been calling you, and only you, for months.” Adam cut straight to the chase. 

Jeremy scoffed at them. “That’s the bar’s phone number. Not my personal phone.” 

“That’s your defense?” Adam asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “Good one. I guess we should be on our way. Boss?” 

Voight picked up the phone, and called the number. 

Jeremy’s cell phone started ringing. He tried to reach for it, but Adam pulled out his gun and pointed it at him. Jeremy swallowed hard, trying not to let his fear show.

“What does the caller ID say, boss?” Adam asked, eyes fixed on Jeremy, waiting for him to make the wrong move. 

“Gun down. Now.” Voight ordered. Adam slowly lowered his weapon, not taking his eyes off of Jeremy. 

“Adrian Parker.” Voight read the name off of the screen. 

“So much for the bar’s phone, huh?” Adam crossed his arms in front of his chest. 

“Who’s Adrian Parker?” Voight asked Jeremy, who was starting to sweat. 

“He works here as a bartender.” Jeremy’s eyes shot back and forth between the two officers.

“Is there a reason he calls you so often?” Voight pressed. 

Jeremy stood up from his chair. “I want a lawy-“

Adam lunged across the desk and shoved him against the wall, one arm holding down his chest, the other pressed against his neck. 

“We don’t have time for that.”

Jeremy strained against his arm, trying to suck in a breath, his face turning red. 

“Who. Is. He.” Adam leaned in closer to him, pressing harder against his throat. 

“Okay- okay!” Jeremy gasped. Adam released his hold. He coughed and sputtered for a few seconds until Adam lost his patience again.

“Adrian Parker-“ Jeremy spoke hastily, holding his hands up in defense. “He came around when my bar started losing business. About five months ago. He said he knew a guy who could help.” 

“Keep talking.” Voight instructed. 

“Somehow I got roped into a deal where I would help Adrian’s boss-“

“Name?” Adam interrupted. 

“I never knew his real name. I only knew him as Jazz.” 

Adam and Voight exchanged a glance. 

“I would help Jazz’s... uh... girls get work every night. There’s a basement below the bar and we turned it into a few private rooms for... you know...”

“Men to sleep with hookers.” Adam finished the sentence for him. “Or should I say, men to sleep with underage girls? Which is very illegal. And disgusting.” 

Voight brought his radio to his mouth. “Jay, Hailey, I need you to check the basement. Do a thorough search.” 

“So somehow you just got roped into this deal, huh?” Adam let out a dry laugh. 

“My business was dying!” Jeremy tried to defend himself. “I don’t know anything about any underage girls. Or a kidnapping. I swear. I just let him bring the girls in and got a cut of the money they made. That’s it.” 

“Nothing in the basement, Sarge.” Hailey reported over the radio. 

“I don’t know if this helps, but my bar used to be called Red Hall. Adrian said I had to change the name of my bar to The Python if I wanted to work with him and Jazz.” 

“So you have Adrian in your payroll system as a bar tender? What do you have for his address?” Voight gestured to Jeremy’s computer. 

Jeremy pulled up Adrian’s name in the system and showed the two men the screen.

The team raced to Adrian’s last known address, Voight calling for a patrol unit to sit on The Python until further notice. They eventually arrived at a small town home. Adam banged on the door, and an older woman answered, clearly woken up from a deep sleep. 

“Where’s Adrian Parker?” Adam asked as soon as the door was opened. 

“Adrian?” The lady fumbled to put on her glasses. “He hasn’t lived here in years.”

“Who is he to you? And where does he live now?” Adam pressed. He didn’t have the patience for her slow processing time and slow speech, even though he knew she couldn’t help it. 

“My nephew. I raised him since he was three-years-old. I haven’t heard from him in months.” Her face dropped. “Last I know he was working at some fish store...” she paused, then she seemed to remember something. “The reptiles! Yes. He drives snakes and lizards from a breeder to the fish store he works at. He drives a semi truck.” 

“Thank you, ma’am.” Adam nodded at her. 

“Is Adrian okay?” She asked, worry filling her voice. 

“Yes.” he waved to her, racing down the steps. He was for now, until Adam got ahold of him. 

The closest aquarium and reptile store was about fifteen minutes away. Sure enough, a large semi truck was parked behind the store. A large black snake, matching the tattoos of Jazz and Landon was printed on the side of the truck. 

Adam didn’t wait for instruction from Voight before busting the lock and entering the truck from the back. 

“Body!” He warned the team. He turned his flashlight on and approached the body, already able to tell it wasn’t Kim from the blonde hair. 

“He wasn’t just transporting snakes on this thing.” Hailey shook her head at the sight of the poor, young girl who hadn’t been dead for long. “He was transporting the girls.” 

“We need to get in that store. Now.” Voight directed. He called on the radio for help with the body, following closely behind his team. 

Kevin broke the double glass doors of the store, and everyone entered slowly, clearing every inch of space. The store was silent except for the low hum of the fish tank filters. They carefully turned every corner, hoping to find Adrian, but they turned up empty.

“Basement door!” Jay yelled from the back of the store. “It’s locked!” 

Jay used his gun to shoot through the locks on the door, then kick it in. 

“Chicago PD!” He yelled in warning, slowly descending down the steps. Silence. 

Adam and Hailey followed close behind him. Antonio, Kevin, and Voight on their tails. 

“Clear!” Jay announced, everyone slowly lowering their weapons. 

“Hey! Over here!” Hailey ran to the left corner of the room. A door was sloppily hidden by a large dresser covered with a few blankets.

Adam said a silent prayer that Kim would be behind that door. Alive. He shoved the dresser to the side to allow Kevin and Jay to get through the multiple locks on the door. When they finally got though, Adam threw the door open, weapon drawn.  
Kim.

Adam ran into the dark, cement covered room towards her, stopping halfway. She was laying on her side, her hands and feet zip tied. She was only in a bra and underwear. Blood was coming out of her nose. Dark bruises covered her arms, neck and torso. Adam’s eyes scanned the rest of her body. He felt an ambush of anger, sadness, and defeat when he saw the blood all over Kim’s underwear and waist line. 

Voight called for an ambulance over the radio. The rest of the team stared, stunned at the scene in front of them. Adam snapped out of his surprised state, and went the rest of the way to Kim. As soon as he cut the zip ties off of her hands, she jumped. Her eyes wide with fear, she pushed him back out of defense. 

“Kim.” Adam put his hands up and backed away, not wanting to scare her. “Baby, it’s me.” 

Her breathing started to slow as she realized who was in front of her. Her eyes focused on Adam, not even realizing the rest of the team was there. 

Adam moved to her again, cautiously, watching her eyes to make sure she was okay with him coming close. He touched her arm, testing the waters. When she didn’t jump, he wrapped her in a gentle hug. He wanted to hug her much tighter, but she was already hurt and he didn’t want to make it worse. He stroked her hair with one hand and held onto her with the other. She didn’t hug back, too in shock and out of it to do much but stare at the floor. 

Voight knelt on the floor in front of Kim, handing Adam a blanket to wrap around her. 

“Where did Adrian go?” He asked softly. 

Kim stared him dead in the eyes, but didn’t say a word. She wanted to reply and tell Voight that she didn’t know. He just disappeared. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but for some reason, she couldn’t respond. The only thing her body did was lay back down on the floor, in the same position the team found her in. She dropped the eye contact, now staring straight at a wall.

“We’ll double check the building.” Antonio nudged Kevin and Hailey. 

Jay, Voight, and Adam didn’t move. They watched to make sure Kim kept breathing.

They heard the sirens from the ambulance just as Antonio’s voice came over the radio. 

“No one here boss. No one outside either.”

“Dammit.” Adam squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing his temples. “Dammit!” He repeated, louder this time, hitting his hand against his leg. The sudden noise caused Kim to jump, and cover her head. 

“Adam.” Jay kept his voice low, but stern. Adam looked at him, confused. He nodded his head towards Kim. “Keep it as calm as possible.” 

“I’m sorry, baby.” Adam whispered, by her side again, hand stroking her hair. “You’re safe now.” 

Kim slowly nodded at him, making eye contact again. 

“Can you tell me what happened?” Adam asked. 

Kim’s eyes glazed over before they started to flutter closed. 

“Kim, can you hear me? Talk to me, baby. Keep your eyes open. Kim?” 

Kim startled awake. Her vision was blurry and she felt pain everywhere. She grabbed onto the first thing she could find, which was a hospital bed railing. 

“You’re okay, baby.” Adam’s voice grounded her. She turned her head to see him sitting in a chair next to her hospital bed. One hand was on her upper back, the other sitting on her hand, trying to calm her trembling body. “I’m here. You’re okay.” 

Kim took her eyes off of Adam to look at her surroundings. She was in Chicago Med, dressed in a hospital gown, a blanket draped over her, an IV in her right hand.

“Do you need anything?” Adam asked. “Water?” 

Kim turned back to face him. Reality was finally setting in. She was safe, and she had Adam by her side. She reached her hand up to his bicep. She needed to feel him to solidify that he was really there. 

Kim jumped and turned her face to the side when Adam moved his arm towards her a little too quickly. 

“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Kim grabbed his hand in hers. They sat there like that for a few minutes in silence.

Voight entered the room, giving Adam a nod. 

Adam reached up to brush a thumb across her cheek and spoke to her gently. 

“Can you tell me what happened?”

Kim let out a ragged breath, then a loud sob escaped her body. Adam pulled her into a hug. She buried her head into his chest, letting out all the tears she had been holding in for the past 12 hours. Adam looked at Voight and shook his head. Voight slowly backed out of the room, stopping Jay and Hailey from entering. They heard Kim crying as Voight drew the curtain.

“Let’s give them some time.” The three of them headed towards the waiting area, the sound of Kim’s painful cries echoing in their heads.

Awhile later, Voight cautiously entered Kim’s hospital room. Adam was holding her hand, staring at the ceiling while Kim was staring straight ahead. 

“Kim?” He asked softly. 

She smiled sadly at him. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“I’m okay.” She replied. Her voice was tired and hoarse. 

“I’m sorry to do this now. I have to ask you about what happened.” Voight walked up to the end of the bed so he could get a better look at her injuries. 

“Not right now.” Adam said firmly. 

“Adam.” Voight had a warning tone. 

“Sarge, not now. She doesn’t want to talk about it.” Adam argued. 

“I understand that,” Voight tried to level with him. “But we need to catch this son of a bitch.” 

“If she doesn’t want to talk about it-“

“I’ll tell him.” Kim interrupted Adam. 

His tone softened again, eyes only focused on her. “Are you sure, baby? You don’t have to if you’re not ready.” 

“It’s okay.” She reassured him. “But...” 

“What is it, baby?” Adam asked. 

Kim looked down, not wanting to see Adam’s reaction to her request. “I don’t want you to be in here. I’m not- I don’t want-“ she sniffled, trying to fight back another round of tears. 

“I’ll be back when you’re done.” Adam caught her eye and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Be strong.” He leaned over to kiss her forehead before leaving the room. 

Voight took the seat Adam left empty. 

“Take your time.” He looked up at Kim. 

Kim took a deep, shaky breath before beginning her story. She started with the kidnapping, then trying to convince Landon to help her by calling Adam. Then she told him about the first time Adrian raped her in the car, and the second time in the room the team found her in. Voight held her hand, reassuring her that they would catch him.

Voight marched out to the waiting area where his team was drinking coffee and talking quietly. Jay was telling Adam about the PTSD Kim was most likely going to experience.

“We need to find Adrian Parker.” 

Everyone stood up immediately, ready to go, including Adam.

“No.” Voight put out a hand to stop him. “She needs you more than we do.” 

Adam glanced at the team, then back at Voight. He wanted nothing more than to catch the scumbag who hurt Kim, but Voight was right. He needed to be there for her. 

“Keep me updated.” Adam requested. Voight squeezed his shoulder and nodded. 

“We’ll get him, man.” Jay nodded towards him before they headed their separate ways. 

Adam didn’t even try to sleep that night. He was too anxious. He was waiting for updates from the team, and updates from the nurses coming in every so often to check on Kim. 

Every time Kim would close her eyes to try to sleep, she would open them a few seconds later, a scared look in her eyes as she scanned her surroundings. 

The third time it happened in the span of ten minutes, Adam climbed into the hospital bed with her. The nurses probably weren’t going to like that, but he didn’t care. They would have to make an exception. He wrapped both of his arms around her. Her head rested on his chest, she finally fell asleep. 

An hour later, she jumped awake, her breathing heavy. 

“I’m still right here, baby.” Adam reassured her, his arms still wrapped around her. “You’re okay.” 

Kim was up every hour from a nightmare and Adam was there to calm her down every time. She knew Adam couldn’t make her trauma go away, but he was definitely helping make her feel safer.

The next morning, Kim woke up in a panic. 

“Adam?” She called out, no longer feeling his arms around her. She scanned the hospital room as her eyes adjusted. “Adam?”

No one answered. Without thinking, she climbed out of bed, pulling the IV cart with her. She regretted doing so the minute she swung her legs over the side of the bed. She was still in a lot of pain. 

“Kim!” Adam rushed into the room, stopping her from going any further. “Baby, stop. I’m right here.” He pulled her into a hug. 

She gladly took the hug, but suddenly felt stupid for panicking. “Where did you go?” 

“To get breakfast, coffee, and clothes for you.” Adam helped her back into bed. “I’m sorry I scared you.” 

“You brought clothes for me?” Kim asked. 

“Yeah, baby. The nurses told me you can take a shower and change whenever you’re up for it.” 

“I’m up for it now.” Kim felt relieved to get out of the hospital gown. She hoped a shower would help her start to feel a little normal again. 

“I’ll call a nurse to help you.”

Kim emerged from the bathroom a while later with damp hair, lounge clothes, and a calmer look on her face. 

“Hey, beautiful.” Adam put down his phone and greeted her with a smile and a soft hug. He felt a sense of relief when she smiled back. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Better.” She sounded sincere. He helped her back into bed. Even though Kim hadn’t told him exactly what happened, he knew. From the way he found her almost naked at the crime scene with blood stained underwear, to the way she took extra time walking, sitting down, or moving positions in general. He tried not to think about it, but it was almost impossible not to. His heart broke for Kim. At the same time, he wanted to beat Adrian Parker until he was- 

“Adam?” 

“Hm?” He snapped out of his train of thoughts, Kim bringing him back to reality. 

“Thank you.” 

“For what, baby?”

“Everything. For finding me. For being there. I should have just gone to Molly’s last night. I’m sorry-“ Kim started to choke up with tears again. 

“Don’t do that.” Adam grabbed her hand. “It’s over now, okay?” 

Kim fought to swallow her tears. 

“How about you stay with me for a while?” Adam suggested. “I mean, for as long as you need.”

“Thank god.” Kim let out a breath. “I didn’t want to go back to my apartment like, ever.”

Back at the district, the team was still trying to find Adrian. They were running on adrenaline, coffee, and no sleep. 

Voight emerged from his office to tell his team that they were going on a ride. 

“Patrol called in an erratic driver that ended up at The Python. They think Adrian Parker was the driver. He’s in the bar now.”

Being only 10 am, the bar wasn’t opened yet, so the team pried open the back door and snuck in. They heard two men yelling at each other, the sound coming from Jeremy Hall’s office. The officers split up, three on each side of the office, their backs up against the wall. Voight silently ordered everyone to stay in place to see how the conversation would play out. 

“You told them too much.” A voice the team assumed belonged to Adrian said through gritted teeth. 

“They tried to choke me!” Jeremy defended himself. “I had to give them something. You know how it is!” 

Jay took a quick peek through the office door and confirmed that Jeremy and Adrian were in there. 

“You should have left me out of it.” Adrian growled. 

“I couldn’t! They found out you called me!” Jeremy was sounding more stressed by the minute. 

“Now I’m on the run for who knows how long because you made me take that cop!” Adrian slammed his first down on the desk. “She wasn’t worth all of this. The sex wasn’t even that good.” 

Despite Voight’s orders to stay put, Adam left his position, ready to burst through the door and destroy Adrian for what he did to Kim. Before he could get very far, Jay grabbed his arm and pulled him back. 

“Not yet,” he whispered. Adam shook his head, anger building up inside of him. 

“You did this all wrong. You were supposed to grab her, keep her in the van, call the cops immediately, and demand the money and cocaine that you owe me.” Jeremy’s voice was growing angrier. “She was only supposed to be used to get what we needed.” 

Adrian started to argue back. “Well I decided to do it a different way. And I don’t owe you-“ 

“Jazz is locked up, so now you’re in charge of the assets. Those girls were supposed to be mine. Do you know how much cocaine they swallowed? That was supposed to be mine. Your boss got locked up on the wrong day, my friend. You do owe me-“ 

“Chicago PD!” Voight called out, his team coming out from around the corner, kicking through the door, and pointing guns at the two offenders. “Don’t move.” 

Jeremy didn’t hesitate to grab a gun from the chair behind him, but Adam shot him down before he could do anything with the weapon.

Adrian jumped against the wall, looking back and forth between the officers and the gun Jeremy dropped on the floor. 

“Do you want to be next?” Adam threatened him, moving closer. “Don’t move.” 

Adrian slowly lifted his hands above his head, the look of fear on his face turning into anger. While Adam put the handcuffs on him, Jay started to read his Miranda Rights. 

“Adrian Parker, you’re under arrest for the kidnapping, assault, and rape of a Chicago police officer. You have the right to remain silent...”

Adam watched Kim from the door of her hospital room. She was sitting in bed, reading a book. For the first time she looked somewhat peaceful. He didn’t want to disturb her, but the rest of the team kept asking to see her.

He knocked softly on the door to get her attention. “Hey, baby. How are you feeling?” 

Kim greeted him with a smile, setting down her book. “Better now. I talked to Dr. Charles while you were gone.” 

“Good. And you’re going to keep seeing him?” 

Kim nodded. “A few times a week until he says otherwise.” 

Adam planted a soft kiss on her forehead and took a seat next to her bed. “The doctor told me you can come home this evening.” 

“Finally. I’m so ready to get out of here.” Kim signed and leaned back against her pillow. 

“Have you had anything to eat yet?” Adam realized he hadn’t seen her eat since she got to the hospital. 

Kim shook her head, her expression dropping. “I don’t have an appetite. Every time I try to eat I feel sick.” 

Adam nodded, watching her intently. “What did the doctor say about that?”

“He said it’s normal.”

“Okay.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “If you get hungry just tell me. We’ll get anything you want.” 

“Thank you.” Kim started to tear up. She felt grateful for Adam being there for her, and overwhelmed at the same time. If she didn’t do something to keep herself busy, her mind kept replaying everything that happened to her. Talking about what happened out loud to Dr. Charles was enough. If she wasn’t doing that, she wanted to keep herself distracted.

“What is it, baby?” Adam reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear. 

“I’m just so happy to be with you again.” Her voice was barely a whisper. Adam leaned in for a hug and held her close. He didn’t want to take the little things for granted anymore. 

“I don’t want to rush you, but the team is dyingto see you.” 

That brought a smile to Kim’s face. “Tell them to come in.” 

Adam disappeared into the waiting room, coming back with the Intelligence Unit minutes later. Everyone had a big smile on their face. Kevin was the first to step forward to greet her with a hug, but hesitated, silently asking her if she was okay with a hug. Kim gladly opened her arms to everyone.

“We got Adrian.” Voight told Kim after she reconnected with the team.

Kim felt a wave of relief wash over her. “Good. What about Landon?” 

“Landon put himself in a bad situation. He died last night.” 

“Oh.” Kim was surprised and unsure how to feel about Landon’s death. On one hand, he helped her bust Jazz, and helped free her. On the other, he was one of her kidnappers. 

Adam took back his spot next to Kim, grabbing her hand protectively and shooting a glance to Voight. 

“We should all go home and rest. We had a long night.” Voight said to his team. Kim said goodbye to everyone except Adam, who didn’t move. 

“You should go home and sleep. You must be exhausted.” She ran a hand through his hair. He leaned into her touch, allowing himself to close his eyes for a second. 

“I’m not going anywhere until you come home.”

“Home, huh?” A smile tugged at the corner of Kim’s lips. 

“Oh, yeah.” Adam grinned. “My home is your home.” 

“Are you sure you don’t want to take a nap?” Kim could see how bloodshot his eyes were. She also knew how stubborn he was, so she needed a new idea. 

“I’m not leaving you, baby.” Adam refused. 

“Let’s take a nap together then. Right here.” Kim moved over to make room for him on the bed. 

Adam looked like he wanted to protest, but he really was tired. A nap couldn’t hurt. 

He climbed into bed with her, his arm around her while she rested her head on his chest. 

“You’ll get through this, baby. I’ll be there for you every step of the way.” His voice was soft and sleepy. He would be out any second now. Kim didn’t really need to take a nap, but she knew that Adam did. She was perfectly happy to lay in his arms for the next few hours, read a book, and feel safe. 

“I love you.” She whispered. 

“I love you more.” 


End file.
